Display carton and method for displaying product using same

ABSTRACT

A display carton, a corrugated fiberboard unitary blank for forming same, and a method for displaying product using the display carton are presented. The display carton generally includes a rectangular bottom, triangular shaped columns connected to and extending upwardly from the tray bottom. The display carton further includes a tray lip connected to the tray bottom at the peripheral edges of the tray bottom and extending upwardly from the tray bottom. The display carton may include triangular shaped gussets between the upper edge of the tray lip and the columns. The display carton provides four substantially open upright walls whereby a method of displaying product to a consumer is provided. The product contained in the display carton and the product main labels are viewable and accessible regardless of the upright wall orientation of the display carton relative to a consumer. The display carton may be assembled by folding a unitary blank fabricated from a sheet of corrugated fiberboard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to display cartons. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a product display carton that hassubstantially opened upright walls that provide a view of the main labelof products contained in the display carton regardless of orientation ofthe display carton presentation.

2. Description of the Related Art

Shipping boxes or cartons are well known in the art and are designed tocontain objects for convenient transport. The transported objects areremoved at arrival by lifting the objects out of an opened carton.Shipping cartons are typically made from a sheet of corrugated kraftmaterial, oftentimes referred to as corrugated fiberboard.

Shipping cartons are used to transport consumer products to retailstores. After arrival at the retail store, individual products areremoved from the shipping carton and placed on a shelf in the store forpresentation to a retail consumer. When placed on the shelf, productsare typically oriented such that the main label of the product, or asecondary package enclosing and containing the product, faces theconsumer.

Owing in part to the popularity of the so-called “club” stores, it isincreasingly desirable to display packaged products in the same cartonin which they are shipped. Such shipping/display cartons, hereinaftersimply display cartons, eliminate the need for removing individualproducts from the display carton and stacking them on a shelf.

Further, in club stores, there is an increase in consumer demand forproducts packaged in larger unit volumes. The demand for larger packageshas resulted in a need for suitable display cartons for such packages.Among the problems with which the packaging engineer must deal indevising suitable display cartons, is the increased weight which suchcartons must be capable of holding.

A number of improvements were made in the prior art display cartons toaddress these issues. For example, Vesborg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,504 isdirected to a transport and display container. Spamer, U.S. Pat. No.5,039,002 is directed to a case for displaying articles in retailoutlets, which is preferably formed of corrugated plastic or fiberboardmaterial. DeMott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,360 is directed to a stackablecontainer having a display opening. Locking slots and locking tabs areillustrated. Edgerton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,299 is directed to acombined product shipping and display box. Carr et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,718,337 discloses a carton for a bag stack.

Display cartons are often stacked on pallets for more convenient andefficient transport to retail stores, especially to club stores, whichtypically turn over more product than traditional retail stores. Often,whole pallets of product in display cartons are placed in the aisles ofclub stores for presentation to consumers. The display cartons areopened so the contained products are directly accessible to consumers,who remove an individual product package from the opened displaycartons.

Because of the special problems which heavier products present, displaycartons that may have been appropriate for products packaged in smallerunit volumes, may not be sufficiently durable, strong, or convenient foruse in connection with products in larger unit volume packages. Further,when presented to consumers in palletized display cartons, many of themain labels of the individual products were not presented to theconsumer.

There remains a need for a display carton that is sufficiently durable,strong, and convenient for use in connection with larger productpackages that would facilitate removal of the product without having tolift the product completely out of the display carton. Further, thereremains a need for a display carton that presents to a consumer the mainlabel of the products that it contains regardless of the orientation ofthe presentation of the display carton to the consumer. Further, whenpalletized, it would be advantageous if the stacked display cartonspresented the main label of the product they contain to the consumerregardless of the stack pattern of the display cartons on the pallet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A display carton in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention avoids the limitations of and provides advantages over priorart display cartons. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in theart, a corrugated display carton is advantageously initially formed bycutting the display carton from a sheet of planar corrugated fiberboardstock. If the entire display carton can be cut as one piece, the pieceis referred to as a unitary blank for the display carton. A displaycarton in accordance with the principles of the present invention, acorrugated fiberboard unitary blank for forming the display carton, anda method for displaying product using the display carton are presented.

The display carton generally includes a rectangular bottom panel andcolumns, triangularly shaped in lateral cross-section, connected to andextending upwardly from the bottom panel at its four corners. Thedisplay carton further includes a lip between the corner columns. Thelip is made up of upright walls comprising a pair of opposing uprightface panels and a pair of opposing upright side panels connected to thebottom panel. In one embodiment, gussets between the lip and the columnssupport and strengthen the columns against buckling under load. Thedisplay carton provides four substantially open upright walls whereby amethod of displaying product is provided. Product contained in thedisplay carton is viewable and accessible regardless of which uprightwall of the display carton is presented to a viewer.

According to the practice of one embodiment of this invention, acorrugated fiberboard display carton is fashioned from a unitary blank,with the display carton, when assembled, being in the general form of anopened-top rectangular box having substantially open upright walls. Thedisplay carton need not be formed from a unitary blank. In oneembodiment, the display carton may be formed from more than one piecethat are coupled to form the blank from which the display carton isassembled. The assembled display carton generally defines the boundariesof a hollow interior portion in which consumer products are disposed.When it is said herein that the upright walls are substantially open, itis meant that the upright walls of a display carton are sufficientlyopen for a consumer to observe at least a portion of a product mainlabel so that the product may be identified by the consumer. Saidanother way, the upright walls form a lip that extends upwardly from thebottom panel for a distance less than the upward extent of the displaycarton columns.

More particularly, the display carton includes a bottom panel, a pair ofopposed face panels and a pair of opposed side panels. All of the panelsare generally configured as rectangular sheets. One of the pair of facepanels is foldably connected to the bottom panel at a face peripheraledge of the bottom panel and the other face panel is foldably connectedto the bottom panel at an opposite face peripheral edge of the bottompanel. One of the pair of side panels is foldably connected to thebottom panel at a side peripheral edge of the bottom panel and the otherside panel is foldably connected to the bottom panel at an opposite sideperipheral edge of the bottom panel.

Each of the pair of face panels has a pair of cut-lines that define aface extension, a bottom extension, and a pair of columns. Whenassembled, the display carton includes four upright columns, i.e., apair of columns for each of the pair of face panels. One column islocated at each of the four rectangular corners of the bottom panel.

Each face extension is foldably connected to its corresponding facepanel such that the face extension may be made to overlap its facepanel. Each bottom extension is foldably connected to its correspondingface extension such that both bottom extensions may be made to overlapthe bottom panel. Each side extension is foldably connected to itscorresponding side panel such that the side extension may be made tooverlap its side panel.

According to the present invention, products disposed in the displaycarton, are easily accessed both visually and physically through thesubstantially open upright walls of the display carton.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and others will be readily appreciated by theskilled artisan from the following description of illustrativeembodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled display carton inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is face panel elevation view of the display carton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a side panel elevation view of the display carton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a unitary blank used to form the display cartonof FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of a method of displaying product usingthe display carton of FIG. 1.

Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals referto like parts throughout. As used herein, positional terms, such as“bottom”, “top” and the like, and directional terms, such as “up”,“down” and the like, are employed for ease of description in conjunctionwith the drawings. Further, the terms “interior”, “inwardly”, and thelike, refer to positions and directions toward the geometric center ofembodiments of the present invention and designated parts thereof. Theterms “exterior”, “outwardly”, and the like, refer to positions anddirections away from the geometric center. None of these terms is meantto indicate that the described components must have a specificorientation except when specifically set forth.

For simplicity of presentation, identical duplicate elements in theFigures are not labeled, although it is understood that these unlabeledelements are to be considered equivalent to duplicated labeled elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a display carton, a corrugated fiberboard unitaryblank for forming same, and a method for displaying product using thedisplay carton are presented. The display carton generally includes arectangular bottom, triangular shaped columns connected to and extendingupwardly from the tray bottom. The display carton further includes atray lip connected to the tray bottom at the peripheral edges of thetray bottom and extending upwardly from the tray bottom, and may includetriangular shaped gussets between the upper edge of the tray lip and thecolumns. The display carton provides substantially open upright wallswhereby a method of displaying product is provided such that productcontained in the display carton is viewable and accessible regardless ofthe upright wall orientation of the display carton relative to a viewer.

More particularly, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled displaycarton 100 in accordance with the principle of the present invention.FIG. 2A is a face panel elevation view of the display carton of FIG. 1,and FIG. 2B is a side panel elevation view of the display carton ofFIG. 1. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, dashed lines indicate hidden surfaces oredges of display carton 100. As described more fully below withreference to FIG. 3, display carton 100 is formed from a unitary blank300 (FIG. 3).

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B together, in one embodiment, displaycarton 100 includes a bottom panel 102, (FIG. 1) generally configured asa rectangular planar surface or sheet, a pair of face panels 104 (FIGS.1 and 2A), generally configured as rectangular planar surfaces, foldablyconnected to bottom panel 102 and folded to extend upwardly fromopposite face peripheral edges of bottom panel 102. Display carton 100further includes a pair of side panels 136 (FIGS. 1 and 2B) foldablyconnected to bottom panel 102 and folded to extend upwardly fromopposite side peripheral edges of bottom panel 102.

As shown in FIG. 1 and as explained more fully below with reference toFIG. 3, each of the pair of opposing face panels 104 defines acorresponding face extension 110 (FIGS. 1 and 2A) and a bottom extension112 (FIG. 1). As used herein a first element and a second element aresaid to be corresponding whenever the second element is delimited as aportion of and defined by the first element. Each face extension 110 isfolded to overlap its corresponding face panel 104 and both bottomextensions 112 are folded to overlap bottom panel 102. In addition, eachof the pair of opposing side panels 136 defines a corresponding sidepanel extension 142. Each side panel extension 142 (FIGS. 1 and 2B) isfolded to overlap its corresponding side panel 136.

Display carton 100 further includes four columns 122, made up of facesfolded to be generally configured as a triangle in lateralcross-section, and located at the rectangular corners of bottom panel102. Each of the pair of face panels 104 defines a pair of columns 122,each of the pair of columns 122 being foldably connected to and foldedto extend upwardly from bottom panel 102. As shown in FIG. 1, displaycarton 100 provides a lip 123 made up of substantially opened uprightwalls comprising face panels 104 and side panels 136 that allow aconsumer to view product contained in display carton 100 regardless ofthe orientation of display carton 100 presented to the consumer. Bothvisual and physical access to the interior of display carton 100 isprovided. Accordingly, display carton 100 of the present inventioncomprises a body having a hollow interior portion adapted to containproducts.

FIG. 3 shows a unitary blank 300 of corrugated fiberboard or otherstiff, resilient, and foldable sheet material used to form displaycarton 100 of FIG. 1. Unitary blank 300 may be cut from stock corrugatedfiberboard as one piece. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, unitaryblank 300 is generally rectangular in form and divided into portionsalong cut-lines and fold-lines, such as face extension cut-lines 108 andface panel fold-lines 106. In FIG. 3, dashed lines indicate scoringlines on the top surface of unitary blank 300, dotted lines indicateperforation lines on the bottom surface of unitary blank 300, and solidlines indicate cuts entirely through the corrugated fiberboard fromwhich unitary blank 300 is formed. Scoring lines are indentations formedin the surface of the fiberboard stock. Perforation lines are spacedapart cuts partially through the fiberboard stock. Those of ordinaryskill in the art recognize that score and perforation lines facilitatefolding of corrugated fiberboard stock or similar sheet materials usedin display cartons. In other embodiments display carton 100 may beassembled from more than one piece of corrugated fiberboard stock thathave been coupled together to form a structure similar to unitary blank100.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3 together, in one embodiment unitary blank300 is configured as a scored and cut rectangular sheet of corrugatedfiberboard formable into display carton 100 (FIG. 1). Unitary blank 300includes a bottom panel 102 and a pair of face panels 104 foldablyconnected along face panel fold-line 106 to opposite face peripheraledges of bottom panel 102. In this embodiment, bottom panel 102 and bothface panels 104 are configured as rectangular sheets.

Each of the pair of face panels 104 has a pair of spaced apart faceextension cut-lines 108 defining a face extension 110, a bottomextension 112, and a pair of column first faces 114. Face extensions 110are foldable along a face extension fold-line 116 to overlap acorresponding one of the pair of face panels 104. In one embodiment,face extension 110 is folded and secured to face panel 104 with adhesivewhen unitary blank 300 is folded and assembled to form display carton100.

Further, bottom extensions 112 are foldable along a bottom extensionfold-line 118 to overlap bottom panel 102. In one embodiment, bottomextensions 112 are folded and secured to bottom panel 102 with adhesivewhen unitary blank 300 is folded and assembled to form display carton100. Each of the pair of column first faces 114 is foldable along facepanel fold-line 106 to extend upwardly from bottom panel 102.

In one embodiment, face extension cut-lines 108 may further define apair of face panel gussets 146 adjacent each of the pair of column firstfaces 114 of each of the pair of face panels 104. Face panel gussets 114are generally configured as triangles and are intended to strengthencolumns 122 against buckling laterally along face panel 104 when unitaryblank 300 is assembled to form display carton 100.

Each of the pair of face panels 104 has a pair of column cut-lines 120,each of the pair of column cut-lines 120 defining a column second face124 foldably connected to one of the pair of column first faces 114 atcolumn second face fold-line 126. Further, each of the pair of columncut-lines 120 defines a column third face 128 foldably connected tocolumn second face 124 at column third face fold-line 126. Stillfurther, each of the pair of column cut-lines 120 defines a column facepanel extension 132 foldably connected to column third face 128 at acolumn face panel extension fold-line 134. Column face panel extension132 is folded to overlap column first face 114 and may be secured tocolumn first face 114 with adhesive when unitary blank is folded andassembled to form display carton 100. Together column first face 114,column second face 124 and column third face 128 form column 122, andcolumn face panel extension 132 is foldable to overlap column first face114 when face panel 104 is folded to extend upwardly from bottom panel102 (FIG. 1) to form display carton 100.

Unitary blank 300 further includes a pair of opposing side panels 136each of the pair of side panels 136 being configured as a rectangularsheet, and each of the pair of side panels 136 being foldably connectedto bottom panel 102 along a side panel fold-line 138 at opposite sideperipheral edges of bottom panel 102. Each of the pair of side panels136 has a pair of spaced apart side panel cut-lines 140 defining a sidepanel extension 142 and defining a pair of side panel column extensions148. When side panel 136 is folded along side panel fold-line 138 toextend upwardly from bottom panel 102, each side panel column extension148 overlaps a respective column second face 124. In one embodiment,side panel column extensions 148 are secured to respective column secondfaces 124 by adhesive when unitary blank 300 is folded and assembled toform display carton 100.

In one embodiment, side panel cut-lines 140 may further define a pair ofside panel gussets 150 adjacent each of the pair of side panel columnextensions 148 of each of the pair of side panels 136. Side panelgussets 114 are generally configured as triangles and are intended tostrengthen columns 122 against buckling laterally along side panel 136when unitary blank 300 is assembled to form display carton 100.

Further, each of the pair of side panel column extensions 148 isfoldable along a side panel extension fold-line 144 to overlap acorresponding one of the pair of side panels 136. In one embodiment,side panel column extensions 148 are secured to corresponding side panel136 with adhesive when unitary blank 300 is folded and assembled to formdisplay carton 100.

When display carton 100 is formed from unitary blank 300 as describedand shown, an advantageous method of displaying product is provided.FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram for a method 460 of displaying productin accordance with the principles of the present invention utilizingdisplay carton 100 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 together,start operation 462 commences the display of product utilizing theembodiment of display carton 100 shown in FIG. 1.

Start operation 462 transfers to fabricate unitary blank operation 464.When it is stated herein that a first operation transfers to a secondoperation, those of skill in the art understand that the first operationis completed and the second operation is started. In one embodiment,unitary blank 300 is, as noted, fabricated from a sheet of corrugatedfiberboard stock. In operation 464 and in a manner well known to thoseof ordinary skill in the art, unitary blank 300 is cut out from thecorrugated fiberboard stock and the fold-lines, perforations andcut-lines described above are made. After unitary blank 300 isfabricated, operation 464 transfers to fold and assemble unitary blankoperation 466.

In operation 466, each of the pair of face panels 104 is folded alongface panel fold-lines 106 to extend upwardly from opposite faceperipheral edges of bottom panel 102. Next, face extensions 110 arefolded along face extension fold-lines 116 to overlap a correspondingone of the pair of face panels 104. Further, in operation 466 bottomextensions 112 are folded along bottom extension fold-lines 118 tooverlap bottom panel 102. Next, the four columns 122 are formed fromrespective column first faces 114, column second faces 124, and columnthird faces 128 folded along respective column second face fold-lines126 and column third face fold-lines 130 to form a triangularly shapedstructure. Column face panel extensions 132 of columns 122 are nextfolded along column face panel extension fold-lines 134 to overlaprespective column first faces 114. Next, each of the pair of side panels136 is folded along side panel fold-line 138 at opposite side peripheraledges of bottom panel 102 to extend upwardly from bottom panel 102. Whenside panels 136 are folded upwardly as described, side panel columnextensions 148 overlap respective column second faces 124. Finally, sidepanel extensions 142 are folded along side panel extension fold-lines144 to overlap a corresponding one of the pair of side panels 136. Asnoted, any of the above-described overlaps may be secured with adhesiveat assembly of display carton 100. At completion of operation 466,unitary blank 300 has been assembled into display carton 100 having aninterior space adapted to dispose products for display. Further, afterassembly, display carton 100 has four substantially opened uprightwalls, i.e., face panels 104 and side panels 136 form lip 123 (FIG. 1)that extends upwardly from bottom panel 102 for a distance less than theupward extent of display carton columns 122. At complete assembly ofdisplay carton 100, operation 466 transfers to place product inassembled display carton operation 468.

In operation 468, product in primary packaging, such as individualbottles or boxes, is placed in assembled display carton 100. In oneembodiment, the product to be disposed in and presented from displaycarton 100 is positioned such that the main label of the primary packagefaces outwardly from display carton 100 toward either face panel 104 orside panel 136, which, as described, are substantially opened afterassembly of display carton 100 from unitary blank 300. Thus, a purchaserof product displayed in display carton 100 may readily view and retrievea primary package of product from display carton 100. If product is tobe displayed only from display cartons 100, operation 468 transfers toend operation 474. However, if multiple display cartons 100 are to bepalletized, after product is placed in display carton 100, operation 468transfers to palletize display cartons operation 470.

In operation 470, one or more display cartons 100 having productdisposed therein, as described in operation 468 above, are placed on apallet for shipment to a retail store such as a club store. Since, asdescribed in operation 468, the main label of the products faceoutwardly from display carton 100 toward either face panel 104 or sidepanel 136, a ready view of the main labels of the products is secured.It does not matter how display cartons 100 are configured on the pallet.The optimum layout of display cartons 100 on a pallet may be pursuedwithout regard to product main label display. After, display carton 100are palletized, operation 470 transfers to present pallet containingdisplay cartons to consumer operation 472.

In operation 472, the pallet containing one or more display cartons 100is placed before the consumer, in, for example, the aisles of a clubstore. By this means, the products are always presented to the consumerwith the main label facing the consumer. After pallets containingdisplay cartons 100 are placed before the consumer, Method 460 ends atend operation 474. Thus, by method 460, a purchaser of product displayedin display carton 100 may readily view and retrieve a primary package ofthe product from display carton 100.

From this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognizethat other conventional materials and fabrication techniques could besubstituted. Also based on this disclosure, the person of ordinary skillin the art would further recognize that the relative proportions of thecomponents illustrated could be varied without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A unitary blank formable into a display carton, said unitary blankcomprising: a bottom panel; a pair of face panels foldably connected tosaid bottom panel, each of said pair of face panels defining a faceextension and a bottom extension; wherein each of said pair of facepanels further defines a pair of columns, each of said pair of columnsbeing foldably connected to said bottom panel; and a pair of side panelsfoldably connected to said bottom panel, each of said pair of sidepanels defining a side extension.
 2. The unitary blank of claim 1wherein said unitary blank comprises corrugated fiberboard.
 3. Theunitary blank of claim 1 wherein said unitary blank is configured as arectangular sheet.
 4. The unitary blank of claim 1 wherein said faceextensions are foldable to overlap a corresponding one of said pair offace panels.
 5. The unitary blank of claim 1 wherein said bottomextensions are foldable to overlap said bottom panel.
 6. The unitaryblank of claim 1 wherein said side extensions are foldable to overlap acorresponding one of said pair of face panels.
 7. The unitary blank ofclaim 1 wherein said columns comprise: a column first face; a columnsecond face foldably coupled to said column first face; a column thirdface foldably coupled to said column second face; and a column facepanel extension foldably coupled to said column third face.
 8. Theunitary blank of claim 7 wherein said column face panel extension isfoldable to overlap said column first face.
 9. A display cartoncomprising: a bottom panel configured as a rectangular sheet; a pair offace panels each of said pair of face panels being configured as arectangular sheet and each of said pair of face panels being foldablyconnected to said bottom panel; wherein each of said pair of face panelshas a pair of spaced apart face extension cut-lines defining a faceextension, a bottom extension, and a pair of column first faces; whereinsaid face extensions are folded to overlap a corresponding one of saidpair of face panels; wherein said bottom extensions are folded tooverlap said bottom panel; wherein each of said pair of face panels hasa pair of column cut-lines, each of said pair of column cut-linesdefining a column second face foldably connected to a one of said pairof column first faces, defining a column third face foldably connectedto of said column second face, and defining a column face panelextension foldably connected to said column third face; wherein saidcolumn face panel extensions are folded to overlap one of said pair ofcolumn first faces; a pair of side panels each of said pair of sidepanels being configured as a rectangular sheet and each of said pair ofside panels being foldably connected to said bottom panel; wherein eachof said pair of side panels has a pair of spaced apart side panelcut-lines defining a side panel extension and defining a pair of sidepanel column extensions; wherein said side extensions are folded tooverlap a corresponding one of said pair of side panels; and whereineach of said pair of side panel column extensions is folded to overlapone of said column second faces.
 10. The display carton of claim 9wherein said display carton is formed from a folded unitary blank. 11.The display carton of claim 9 wherein said face extensions are securedto a corresponding one of said pair of face panels by adhesive.
 12. Thedisplay carton of claim 9 wherein said bottom panel extensions aresecured to said bottom panel by adhesive.
 13. The display carton ofclaim 9 wherein said side extensions are secured to a corresponding oneof said pair of side panels by adhesive.
 14. The display carton of claim9 wherein said column face panel extensions are secured to said columnfirst faces by adhesive.
 15. The display carton of claim 9 wherein saidside panel column extensions are secured to said column second faces byadhesive.
 16. The display carton of claim 9 wherein said face extensioncut-lines further define a pair of face panel gussets 146 adjacent eachof said pair of column first faces 114 of each of said pair of facepanels
 104. 17. The display carton of claim 9 wherein said side panelcut-lines further define a pair of side panel gussets adjacent each ofsaid pair of side panel column extensions of each of said pair of sidepanels.
 18. A method of displaying a product comprising: fabricating oneor more unitary blanks as in claim 1; folding and assembling said one ormore unitary blanks to form one or more display cartons havingsubstantially open upright walls; placing products in said one or moredisplay cartons such that a main label on said products faces towardsaid substantially open upright walls; presenting said one or moredisplay cartons to a consumer.
 20. The method of displaying product ofclaim 18 further comprising: palletizing said one or more displaycartons on a pallet; presenting said pallet to a consumer.
 21. Themethod of displaying product of claim 20 wherein a said main label isvisible to said consumer.